(by Ivan Braiker) Picture this: a local restaurant chain in a small town is advertising on air and with display ads on their local radio station?s website. For a small business, they are doing a great job of marketing locally ? yet they are missing a huge piece of the puzzle: mobile availability. Your customers probably never thought they could conquer this channel with help from you, their radio station partner. But if you take the right steps to redefine your station?s role, they can.
For radio advertising, there is a divide between the large media conglomerates and the smaller radio companies. The larger players are successful because that is largely and precisely what customers want ? a plethora of on-air, offline and digital offerings that can be tailored to their company and their marketing campaigns. Local radio stations have known for awhile that they have to adapt in order to keep up, and mobile presents a new opportunity for them. Radio stations must continue to evolve their simple radio sales and be full-on marketing consultants, offering comprehensive packages that mimic the larger companies? offerings while being nimble and impactful to the small businesses in their markets.
To start, it?s important for stations to explore their partners? products and solutions, and leverage all resources available to them. For instance, radio stations have access to mobile service providers that can be scaled to the radio stations? customers, making mobile offerings available and affordable for smaller businesses, while increasing the overall solution set of the station.
It?s a win-win. Local businesses can now:
? Reach their customers on their mobile device, wherever they are.
? Offer a mobile-optimized experience and clear call-to-action on the mobile page, such as coupons, phone numbers, maps and directions, etc.
? Increase marketing channels that drive awareness and loyalty.
Small radio groups can now:
? Position themselves as true marketing consultants that have their finger on the pulse of digital advertising offerings and go beyond on-air and display Web buys.
? Stay afloat amongst the larger media groups and further their relevance and sensibility for local SMBs.
? Fortify their relationship with their mobile service providers by acting as a reseller for their products and services.
? Create a seamless experience for their customers to leverage mobile offerings and develop another means through which they rely upon the station for their marketing needs.
In order to be truly effective with customers, it is imperative that radio stations do everything they can to optimize the on-air campaigns running for their customers. By matching these on-air spots with mobile messaging platforms such as mobile Web, SMS and ad options, you can ensure that results are maximized. Your customers, who would otherwise have to pay thousands of dollars for mobile capabilities, can now access this valuable channel for a fraction of the cost because you utilize your outside mobile service provider, going way beyond traditional media offerings.
Wondering where to begin? Have a discussion with your mobile service provider and discuss a reseller model that will be mutually beneficial. They will guide you on mobile recommendations for your local small businesses, such as:
? Does the branding and customer experience extend to all platforms: radio, web, traditional and mobile? Their customers want to immediately recognize their favorite and familiar local business.
? What should the experience entail? Are coupons and QR codes appropriate?
? Is a mobile optimized website enough?
? Does it incorporate and integrate with a local social media strategy?
? Is a mobile payment system a logical addition for local commerce companies?
? How will their customers respond to all and any of it?
The bottom line? The more that local radio station companies can do to educate themselves and work with partners to increase their marketing offerings and relevance, the farther they will go. You must become part of the revolution, adapt and not rely on ?radio is enough.?
Ivan Braiker is the president of mobile marketing company Hipcricket. He can be reached at ivan@hipcricket.com.
Read more articles from Ivan HERE
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